Jaysus that's the most interesting pre-season side I've seen in a while! Some potential clues there as to where Leocaster's thoughts lie. Lowe at 15, Tomane at 12, Reid at 10 and Ruddock at 7 are all interesting calls. I wonder if Reid might get a bit of gametime there if one of the other three goes down.

I was thinking it was some time since Reid had played 10, but hadn't realised it was quite so long. Two starts there for the senior team, the first at home to Aironi during RWC 2011 and the second during the 2013 6N at home to Scarlets. We won the two matches but Reid was subbed at half-time in both games, being replaced on both occasions by Ian Madigan.

It's a good selection for Reider. I remember writing a post about it mid-season last year – so I won't rehash the entire argument – but he needs to be pushed to take on more responsibility and to become more versatile in order to prove more useful to the squad.

The guys who are in the 31-44 squad positions [i.e. outside nominal first and second string sides] need to show either value or potential, or their future is a bit shaky.

In terms of Leinster's overall squad make-up-up, having a 28 year old player who has 100 Leinster caps but only 4 starts in the Heineken Cup [and 5 appearances off the bench in that competition] marks him out as an anomaly. He's the 12th most capped Leinster player currently in the squad:

When you take out the regular test players [who won't be available for significant portions of the season, i.e. September, November, Feb-Mar], then you're left with Ferg, DK, Michael Bent and Reider. They'll be the senior Leinster players in the camp for whole months of the season.

Ferg has obvious and unquestionable value - he started six Heineken Cup games last season. He's a first or second choice player without a shadow of a doubt. Michael Bent has significant value as a third choice tighthead, because we have two tightheads in the test mix ... and he can cover loosehead at a push. Leinster have had really strong tightheads since he has been with the club – Ross, Furlong, Moore, Porter – but as many have asked before, is there a better third choice tighthead in the Pro14?

We saw DK playing at FB last season after a long stint just as a winger – that makes him more useful, even if he's not invaluable. Reider's value solely as a No12 – a weak tackler, a very rarely used right-footed kicker who offers little game management, a non-placekicker, and a rabbit at the breakdown – is not high. If he becomes a player who can cover No10 at a pinch, returns to kicking goals, and becomes more authoritative then obviously he's more valuable and can contribute more over the course of the season.

I've stressed his weaknesses there: obviously he's a good passer and has the ability to beat players in open play. He's also got a good bit of experience/Leinster have invested a lot of time in him. But he has slipped to third string with the arrival of Tomane. So if that second choice No12 isn't going to be as wide open as it has been for the last five seasons, he needs to do more. And this is a good opportunity for him.

hugonaut wrote:I've stressed his weaknesses there: obviously he's a good passer and has the ability to beat players in open play. He's also got a good bit of experience/Leinster have invested a lot of time in him. But he has slipped to third string with the arrival of Tomane. So if that second choice No12 isn't going to be as wide open as it has been for the last five seasons, he needs to do more. And this is a good opportunity for him.

He was third string last season as well. I think it's not an exaggeration to say he is the best passer in our squad. It's possibly not a stretch to say he is one of the worst tacklers. Maybe outhalf might have been the best spot for him to make his career (I've no real memory of his kicking though). At 28, it feels like a last throw of the dice a bit. I hope it works out for him. Seems like a nice guy, clearly very skilful, and has been a good servant for Leinster.

hugonaut wrote:I've stressed his weaknesses there: obviously he's a good passer and has the ability to beat players in open play. He's also got a good bit of experience/Leinster have invested a lot of time in him. But he has slipped to third string with the arrival of Tomane. So if that second choice No12 isn't going to be as wide open as it has been for the last five seasons, he needs to do more. And this is a good opportunity for him.

He was third string last season as well. I think it's not an exaggeration to say he is the best passer in our squad. It's possibly not a stretch to say he is one of the worst tacklers. Maybe outhalf might have been the best spot for him to make his career (I've no real memory of his kicking though). At 28, it feels like a last throw of the dice a bit. I hope it works out for him. Seems like a nice guy, clearly very skilful, and has been a good servant for Leinster.

wixfjord wrote:I think Reid's long passing is better than Sexton's. He has thrown some incredible ones over the last two years. Didn't Darce call him the best passer in Ireland?

What Sexton does very well is pass under pressure, drawing defenders and passing at the last minute. It's not necessarily the pass, it's the distribution.Reid's passes are a thing of beauty though. You'd want to be some hater not to appreciate them.As such, I think you could argue that Reid is a better passer, whilst Sexton is a better distributor (maybe the best there is on the planet).

After Noel Reid started at out-half in Montauban last week, Ciaran Frawley is in line to play a role at home to the Falcons on Friday.

Fergus McFadden is nearing a comeback after a slower-than-expected recovery from the leg injury he picked up while scoring a try in the Champions Cup semi-final win over Scarlets. The veteran wing won’t face Newcastle in Donnybrook this Friday evening but should train in full this week with a view to being fit for Pro14 opening night away in Cardiff.

Sean O’Brien, who underwent shoulder surgery in April to cap an injury-plagued season, has been pencilled in for a return to action in or around round four (v Edinburgh) or five (v Connacht) of the Pro14.

Dan Leavy, who missed Ireland’s third Test against Australia with a sternum issue, and Josh van der Flier, recovering from the ACL he ruptured in the Six Nations win in Paris, are also on course to be back available for Cullen in a similar time-frame.

No doubt some of those timeframes will change between now and then but that is some back row trio to suddenly have available. Assuming SOB ever gets back to full fitness that is (beginning to have serious doubts).